Yarn-feeding apparatus for knitting machines

ABSTRACT

A yarn consumer, such as a knitting machine, pulls yarn from a yarn supplier. A yarn feeding apparatus facilitates the travel of yarn from the supplier to the consumer, and includes a brake arrangement for frictionally engaging and exerting a braking force upon yarn travelling from the supplier to the consumer. A tension stabilizer is operative for stabilizing yarn tension and counteracting yarn tension increases. The tension stabilizer includes a rotating feed member downstream of the brake arrangement operative for supporting at least one turn of yarn and for exerting upon such turn of yarn a positive pulling force pulling yarn through the brake arrangement when the frictional engagement between the surface of the rotating feed member and such turn of yarn reaches a predetermined value in response to yarn tension increases caused by increases of consumer pull. Advantageously, the rotating feed member is a vertically downwards tapering rotating feed cone, and the brake arrangement is so designed as to simultaneously serve for the snaring of knots in yarn being braked by the brake arrangement. Also, advantageously, there is provided a knock-off device downstream of the rotating feed member for terminating rotation thereof in response to yarn breakage.

[ Nov. 11, 1975 YARN-FEEDING APPARATUS FOR KNITTING MACHINES [76] Inventor: Horst Paepke, Fasanenweg 30, 7407 Rottenburg, Germany [22] Filed: Apr. 5, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 458,288

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Apr. 14. 1973 Germany 2318966 [52] US. Cl. 66/132; 66/146; 66/158; 242/154 [51] Int. Cl. D04B 15/48 [58] Field of Search 66/125 R, 132, 146, 158; 242/153, 154, 14.01

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,797,468 7/1957 Brown 66/146 2,949,756 8/1960 Curtis 66/132 3,083,924 4/1963 Vossen et a1. 66/132 3,318,551 5/1967 Parks et a1. 242/154 3,747,864 7/1973 Rosen 242/4701 Primary Examiner-Mervin Stein Assistant E.\'aminerSteven, Hawkins Attorney, Agent, or FirnzMichael S. Striker [57] ABSTRACT A yarn consumer, such as a knitting machine, pulls yarn from a yarn supplier. A yarn feeding apparatus facilitates the travel of yarn from the supplier to the consumer, and includes a brake arrangement for fric- .tionally engaging and exerting a braking force upon yarn travelling from the supplier to the consumer. A tension stabilizer is operative for stabilizing yarn tension and counteracting yarn tension increases. The tension stabilizer includes a rotating feed member downstream of the brake arrangement operative for supporting at least one turn of yarn and for exerting upon such turn of yarn a positive pulling force pulling yarn through the brake arrangement when the frictional engagement between the surface of the rotating feed member and such turn of yarn reaches a predetermined value in response to yarn tension increases caused by increases of consumer pull. Advantageously, the rotating feed member is a' vertically downwards tapering rotating feed cone, and the brake arrangement is so designed as to simultaneously serve for the snaring of knots in yarn being braked by the brake arrangement. Also, advantageously, there is provided a knock-off device downstream of the rotating feed member for terminating rotation thereof in response to yarn breakage.

16 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures U.S. Patent Nov. 11,1975 Sheetlof2 3,918,275

US. Patent Nov. 11, 1975 Sheet2of2 3,918,275

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a yarnor thread-feeding or -conveying arrangement for knitting machines, sewing machines, and the like, of the type comprised of a rotating friction roller around which the yarn is guided, and a yarn brake located upstream of the friction roller, considered in the direction of yarn travel.

Yarn feeding arrangements have the purpose of feed ing yarn to the knitting station of a knitting machine, for example, under substantially zero or constant low yarn tension. This is of particular importance, for example, in the case of multi-feed multi-color knitting machines where the rates of feed of the differently colored yarns will vary in dependence upon the pattern to be knit, and where accordingly steps must be taken to assure that such variations in the yarn feed rate do not produce excessive variations in yarn tension.

Various different yarn feeding apparatuses have already been proposed (for example in German published Pat. applications Nos. 3,303,823, 2,220,207 and 2,125,873). However, these yarn feeding apparatuses have the disadvantage that they do not satisfactorily operate in response to a sudden increase in the rate at which the yarn consumer (e.g., the knitting machine) is drawing yarn out of the yarn feeding apparatus. Either these yarn feeding apparatuses are altogether incapable of actively supplementing the feeding process under such circumstances, or else they can do so but require the use of complicated and expensive intermediate yarn accumulators.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a general object of the invention to provide a very simple yarnor thread-feeding apparatus which meets all the requirements made of such apparatuses and which is easily adapted to different knitting machines and methods, and to various types of yarn or thread consumers.

It is another object to provide such an apparatus which eliminates to a great extent the yarn feeding control devices which formed part of prior-art yarnfeeding apparatuses.

According to one advantageous, but merely exemplary, embodiment of the invention, the friction roller of the yarn feeder is designed as a vertically oriented downwardly tapering rotating feed cone, combined with a yarn brake located upstream of the supply cone, considered in the direction of yarn travel, the yarn brake being so designed as to simultaneously serve as a knot snare, with the yarn being fed, downstream of the supply cone, through a knock-off device operative for terminating rotation of the feed cone in response to yarn breakage. This particular exemplary construction performs all the most important yarn feeding control functions, actively supports the feeding of yarn when necessary to meet an increasing yarn demand of the yarn consumer, and accordingly ensures the maintenance of a relatively constant and low yarn tension.

In an exemplary construction disclosed herein, the yarn brake, which is located upstream of the rotating feed cone, is comprised of two friction bodies mounted eccentrically on a rotatable brake adjuster disk, yarn being fed into the brake through a first guide, then passed around the two friction bodies in a meandering 2 path, and finally leaving the brake through a second guide. In this disclosed construction, the spacing inter: mediate the two friction bodies, through which space the yarn being braked is fed, is adjustable. This yarn' brake design, by reason of the relatively long path of frictional or braking contact along which the yarn being braked travels, is characterized by a good distribution of the braking force and a desirable stabilization of the travel of the yarn through the yarn feeding apparatus. Such a design for the brake device has the important advantage that, in contrast to known double-dishtype brake devices, the brake device cannot become clogged by fibrous material, so that the braking action is reliably constant.

To this end, in one exemplary construction disclosed herein, the friction bodies referred to above are advantageously provided in the form of cylinders stationarily mounted on the rotatable brake adjuster dial, with one of the cylinders being rotatable for purposes of adjustment about an axis eccentric to its geometrical axis, so as to permit adjustment of the spacing between the two friction cylinders. Adjustment of the spacing between the two friction cylinders can be performed takinginto consideration the type of yarn being fed, so that if there are any knots in the yarn these knots will not be able to pass through the constricted space between the two friction cylinders.

According to one advantageous concept of the inven: tion, the braking force of the yarn brake is continuously adjustable, and to facilitate such adjustment, the brake adjuster dial on which the friction cylinders are mounted is provided with a calibrated scale to indicate the brake setting.

Another extremely important advantage of the invention resides in the fact that when a large number of such yarn brakes are built, the design is inherently such that when all the yarn brakes are set to the same braking setting, the braking action and braking force applied to the respective yarns are in fact substantially identical in all the brake devices. This is of great importance, for example in the case of multi-feed knitting machines, which may often incorporate as many as 36 yarn feeding apparatuses, and wherein reliable similarity of operation of all the yarn feeding apparatuses, and consequent reliable similarity of the yarn tensions at all the different knitting stations, is of great advantage.

In one exemplary embodiment of the invention described below, the brake device is mounted on a vertically adjustable mounting bracket, the mounting bracket being U-shaped and having two horizontally extending leg portions respectively supporting the inlet guide member and the outlet guide member of the brake device. A yarn brake having this feature can be employed additionally, and independently of the yarn feeding apparatus, in conjunction with a knitting machine, when additional braking devices are arranged in the path of travel of the yarn. Likewise, if two braking devices are connected one after the other, for joint yarn braking, there is the important advantage that the braking device according to the present invention can readily be employed as one of the two braking devices, because of its adaptability.

The provision of numbers on the brake adjuster dial, and the visibility of successive ones of these numbers through a viewing window as the dial is turned, makes for an exact and simple visually monitorable equalization of the braking actions of all the braking devices used in a multifeed knitting machine, for example.

The yarnor thread-feeding apparatus according to the invention is advantageously comprised of a single common housing containing the electric drive motor for the feed cone located on the underside of the housing, with the braking device being mounted on the vertical front face of the housing, and the rear of the housing being provided with mounting means for mounting the housing and with electrical connectors. Additionally, the housing can also support a feed wheel driven by a drive belt of a per se known yarn conveying arrangement, with either the axis of this feed wheel or else the brake device on the housing being displaceable, so as to change the relative positions of the brake device and feed wheel in order to bring them into or out of cooperation with each other.

The ability of one of the disclosed embodiments of the inventive yarn feeding device to cooperate, as an alternative mode of operation, with such a feed wheel is advantageous, and increases the versatility of the arrangement. Some knitting machines are provided with a plurality of such feed wheels all driven by a single drive belt, to ensure equal yarn feed rates at all the knitting stations (Rosen System); this expedient is practicable only where the knitted fabric is a simple one having no pattern, i.e., because in such case there are no pattern-dependent variations in the rate of consumption of yarn at the different yarn feeds. However, even when a yarn feeding apparatus according to the invention is employed in conjunction with such a commondrive-band multiple-feed-wheel set-up, the feeding of yarn at selected individual yarn feeding stations can be alternatively controlled by means of the supply cone of the exemplary construction, instead of by such feed wheel, this capability resulting from the shiftability of the yarn brake of the disclosed exemplary yarn feeding apparatus from a position for cooperation with the feed cone thereof to a position for cooperation with the justdiscussed feed wheel.

A further important advantage of the yarn feeding apparatus of the invention is the ease and quickness with which it can be adjusted. All the guide members of the apparatus are advantageously configurated circumferentially incomplete so that the yarn or thread can be introduced into the feeding apparatus without any threading of a yarn end through the guide members.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a side view of a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a front view of a modification of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The threador yarn-feeding apparatus is comprised of a housing 1 in which there is provided an electric drive motor 2 for driving feed cone 3 located on the underside of the apparatus, as illustrated. The

4 drive motor 2 is depicted in broken lines and illustrated only schematically.

Also inside the housing 1 there is a motor control switch unit 4 of per se conventional construction which cooperates with a knock-off action unit 5, 6, also located on the underside of the apparatus as illustrated, and downstream of the feed cone 3, as considered in the direction of yarn or thread travel. The knock-off unit 5, 6, is comprised in known manner of a sensing lever 6 which is maintained in an elevated condition, i.e., supported from below, by the thread travelling through the knock-off unit 5, 6. In the event of thread or yarn breakage, the sensing lever 6 will no longer be supported from below by travelling thread, and will fall downwardly to a lowered position. When this occurs, the electric switch unit 4 is activated to terminate operation of the drive motor 2 and to simultaneously energize a red warning light 8, located on the bottom of the apparatus, as illustrated. Details of the cooperation between sensing lever 6, the switching unit 4 and the red warning lamp 8 are not explicitly depicted, since they are of a conventional nature.

The current supply for the motor 2 and for the switch unit 4 associated with the knock-off unit 5, 6 is derived from contact members 9 which are located at the back side of the apparatus (the right side as viewed in FIG. I) and which are biased against and into electrical contact with exposed low-voltage current conductors 10. The low-voltage current conductors 10 extend along the length of a mounting rail 11 (see especially FIG. 1). The housing 1 of the threador yarn-feeding apparatus is mounted on the mounting rail 11 by means of a clamping screw 13 which passes through a mounting portion 12 of the housing 1. Because the housing 1 is thusly mounted on the rail 11, it will be evident that the position of the housing can be readily shifted in direction lengthwise of the rail 11. The spring biased contact members 9 are so arranged in the back wall portion of the housing 1 that, although they press against the exposed low-voltage current-carrying conductors 10, they are not actually themselves exposed to the outside, when the housing 1 is mounted on the rail 11; accordingly, the contact members 9 are protected from fouling.

Arranged on the front side of the housing 1 (left side as viewed in FIG. 1) is a yarnor thread-braking arrangement, arranged upstream of the feed cone 3, as considered in the direction of yarn or thread travel. The braking arrangement is comprised of a generally U-shaped mounting bracket 14 screwed to the front side of the housing 1 by means of two mounting screws 15. The U-shaped mounting bracket 14 has two forwardly projecting horizontal portions, an upper one 16 and a lower one 17. The upper mounting portion 16 carries a guide member 18, whereas the lower such mounting portion 17 carries a guide member 19. Thread or yarn 7 is guided through'the guide members 18, 19 supplied from a non-illustrated yarn supplier.

Mounted on the middle portion of the U-shaped mounting bracket 14 is an adjuster dial 20. Dial 20 can be turned to adjust the strength of the yarnor threadbraking action, but is hard enough to turn that, when turned to a particular position, it remains in such selected position unless its position is positively changed by the operator of the apparatus. The adjuster dial 20 is provided on its circumferential wall with a scale, to facilitate precise selection of a particular degree of brakmg action.

Mounted on the rotatable adjuster dial are two friction cylinders 21 and 22, eccentric to the axis of rotation of adjuster dial 20; this is seen most clearly in FIG. 2. The friction cylinder 21 is comprised of an outer annular portion which is arranged eccentrically on a central portion 23. The central portion 23 is provided with a slit 24 into which can be inserted the end of a screwdriver. If the screwdriver is turned, the friction cylinder 22, having an eccentric axis of rotation, will move closer to or farther from the friction cylinder 21, so as to decrease or increase the space 25 intermediate the friction cylinders 21, 22. The gap 25 intermediate the friction cylinders 21, 22 serves to snare knots in the guided thread or yarn. If the thread or yarn being guided by the illustrated arrangement contains a knot such as might damage the knitting or sewing needle which ultimately receives the yarn, such knot will be caught in the snare space 25 and thereby prevented from reaching the knitting or sewing needle.

From FIG. 2 it is particularly clear that the yarn or thread 7 is guided along a meandering path, introduced into the brake by the upper guide member 18, then travelling in clockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 2) around the friction cylinder 21, then travelling in counterclockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 2) around the friction cylinder 22, and then leaving the brake through the lower guide member 19.

By changing the angular position of the brake adjuster dial 20, the length of the circumferential portions of friction cylinders 21, 22 contacted by the yarn can be adjusted. For example, if the brake adjuster dial 20 is turned counterclockwise from its FIG. 2 position, so that the rollers 21, 22 are located at the same horizontal level, there will be substantially zero braking action. On the other hand, if from the just-mentioned position the brake adjuster dial 20 were rotated 180 in clockwise direction, then evidently the braking action would be substantially maximum.

Provided in the lower projecting portion 17 of the U- shaped mounting bracket 14 there is a (non-illustrated) viewing window through which the numbers on the circumferential wall of the brake adjuster dial 20 can be seen, so that the number appearing in such window will indicate the selected degree of braking action.

After passing around the two friction cylinders 21, 22, the yarn or thread 7 passes down through the lower guide member 19 to the feed cone 3, around which one turn of the yarn or thread is wound. In the vicinity of the feed cone 3, the yarn or thread 7 is guided through slots in a stationary comb-shaped guide member 26, so that the yarn or thread 7 cannot fall down off the feed cone 3.

From the feed cone 3, the yarn or thread 7 passes (see FIG. 1) to and through the knock-off device 5, 6 already described above. Thereafter, the yarn 7 passes through further (non-illustrated) guide means to the knitting station of a knitting machine, for example.

As mentioned above, the feed cone 3 is continuously rotated by the drive motor 2. Depending upon the pull which the (non-illustrated) knitting machine, for example, exerts upon the end of the yarn, the single turn of yarn wound around the feed cone 3 will come into greater or lesser frictional engagement with the surface of the feed cone 3. During normal operation, such frictional engagement will be very small, and the yarn will glide lightly and with very little friction over the surface of the feed cone 3.

The circumferential or surface speed of the feed cone 3 is, in known manner, selected larger than the normal velocity with which the yarn is pulled into the knitting machine, or other yarn consumer. In the event that the 5 yarn consuming rate suddenly increases above the normal value, the yarn tension will increase, and the frictional engagement between the yarn 7 and the surface of rotating feed cone 3 will increase to a point where the feed cone 3 exerts a positive pulling force on the yarn, pulling the yarn through the upstream braking arrangement, and furnishing the yarn to the yarn consumer at a temporarily increased rate, so that the yarn tension will be restored to the normal value.

FIG. 3 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2, but showing a modification of the FIG. 2 structure. In FIG. 3, there is provided on the front face of the housing l a forwardly projecting mounting bar 27 on which is mounted a freely rotatable feed wheel 28. The feed wheel 28 forms part of a per se known yarnor threadfeeding apparatus,.and is driven by a (non-illustrated) drive belt which passes around the feed wheel 28 but has a width substantially less than the axial length of the feed wheel 28. The yarn or thread 7 is passed around the feed wheel 28, and the feed wheel 28 can exert upon the yarn or thread leaving the braking device a positive pulling force causing yarn or thread advancement. The feed wheel 28 can be used in place of the feed cone 3 as an active feeding member, in special circumstances.

In the alternative construction of FIG. 3, the U- shaped mounting plate 14 is so mounted that it can be displaced in vertical direction, it being shown displaced vertically downwards compared to the FIG. 2 position thereof. In this way the orientation of the outlet guide member 19 of the brake arrangement can be changed relative to the feed wheel 28, and accordingly the thread or yarn 7 can be brought into or out of the region of influence of the non-illustrated drive belt which drives feed wheel 28.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two orrmore together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a yarn or thread feeding apparatus for use in conjunction with knitting and sewing machines, and the like, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims:

1. In combination with a yarn supplier and a yarn consumer, particularly a knitting machine, which pulls yarn from the yarn supplier, a yarn feeding apparatus for facilitating the travel of yarn from the supplier to the consumer, the yarn feeding apparatus comprising brake means for frictionally engaging and exerting a braking force upon yarn traveling from the supplier to the consumer, said brake means being configurated to snare knots in a yarn being braked by said brake means;

and tension stabilizing means for stabilizing yarn tension and counteracting yarn tension increases, comprising rotating conical yarn feed means downstream of said brake means operative for supporting at least one turn of yarn and for exerting upon such turn of yarn a positive pulling force pulling yarn through said brake means when the frictional engagement between the surface of said rotating feed means and such turn of yarn reaches a predetermined value in response to yarn tension increases caused by increases of consumer pull. and knock-off means downstream of said rotating conical member operative for terminating rotation of said conical yarn feeding means in response to yarn breakage, wherein said brake means comprises an inlet yarn guide member and an outlet yarn guide member, a brake adjuster disk rotatable about a predetermined axis, and two spaced friction bodies mounted on said disk eccentric to said axis intermediate said inlet and outlet guide members and operative for guiding yarn from said inlet guide member to said outlet guide member through the space intermediate said spaced friction bodies and along a meandering path defined by said two spaced friction bodies and by said inlet and outlet guide members, wherein the spacing between said two spaced friction bodies is adjustable, wherein said two spaced friction bodies are of cylindrical configuration. wherein one of said two cylindrical friction bodies is rotatable about an axis eccentric to the symmetry axis thereof, whereby to permit adjustment of the spacing intermediate said two cylindrical friction bodies.

2. The combination defined in claim 1, wherein the axis of said rotating conical feed means is vertical and said conical feed means tapers in downwards direction.

3. The combination defined in claim 2, wherein said apparatus is comprised of a common housing containing said drive means and said knock-off means, wherein said rotating conical feed means is comprised of a rotatable feed cone and drive means for rotating said feed cone, wherein said feed cone is mounted on the underside of said housing, wherein said brake means is mounted on the front side of said housing, and wherein the rear side of said housing is provided with electrical connectors leading to said drive means and is further provided with mounting means for mounting said housing on a knitting machine.

4. The combination defined in claim 3, and further including a mounting rail adapted to be supported on a knitting machine, and wherein said mounting rail is provided with exposed current-carrying conductors, and wherein said mounting means comprises means for mounting said housing at said rear side thereof on said mounting rail with said electrical connectors in contact with said conductors but covered by the mounting rail and not exposed to the outside.

5. The combination defined in claim 1, wherein said mounting means comprises a housing mounting said rotating feed means and a U-shaped bracket mounting said brake means and mounted on said housing shiftable in direction parallel to the axis of rotation of said 8 bracket intermediate said leg portions thereof and has a circumferential wall surface provided with calibrated markings visible through said viewing window.

7. In combination with a yarn supplier and a yarn consumer, particularly a knitting machine, which pulls yarn from the yarn supplier, a yarn feeding apparatus for facilitating the travel of yarn from the supplier to the consumer the yarn feeding apparatus comprising brake means for frictionally engaging and exerting a braking force upon yarn traveling from the supplier to the consumer, said brake means being configurated to snare knots in a yarn being braked by said brake means; and tension stabilizing means for stabilizing yarn tension and counteracting yarn tension increases, comprising rotating conical yarn feed means downstream of said brake means operative for supporting at least one turn of yarn and for exerting upon such turn of yarn a positive pulling force pulling yarn through said brake means when the frictional engagement between the surface of said rotating feed means and such turn of yarn reaches a predetermined value in response to yarn tension increases caused by increases of consumer pull, and knock-off means downstream of said rotating conical member operative for terminating rotation of said conical yarn feeding means in response to yarn breakage, wherein said brake means comprises an inlet yarn guide member and an outlet yarn guide member, a brake adjuster disk rotatable about a predetermined axis, and two spaced friction bodies mounted on said disk eccentric to said axis intermediate said inlet and outlet guide members and operative for guiding yarn from said inlet guide member to said outlet guide member through the space intermediate said spaced friction bodies and along a meandering path defined by said two spaced friction bodies and by said inlet and outlet guide members, said yarn feeding apparatus comprising mounting means mounting said rotating conical feed means and mounting said brake means displaceable in direction parallel to the axis of rotation of said rotating conical feed means.

8. The combination defined in claim 7, wherein said brake means comprises an inlet yarn guide member and an outlet yarn guide member, a brake adjuster disk rotatable about a predetermined axis, and two spaced friction bodies mounted on said disk eccentric to said axis intermediate said inlet and outlet guide members and operative for guiding yarn from said inlet guide member to said outlet guide member through the space intermediate said spaced friction bodies and along a meandering path defined by said two spaced friction bodies and by said inlet and outlet guide members.

9. The combination defined in claim 8, wherein the spacing between said two spaced friction bodies is adjustable.

10. The combination defined in claim 9, wherein said two spaced friction bodies are of cylindrical configuratron.

11. The combination defined in claim 8, wherein said brake adjuster disk is provided with calibrated markings.

12. The combination defined in claim 8, wherein said inlet and outlet guide members are circumferentially incomplete to permit insertion of a yarn into said guide members without having to thread a yarn end through said guide members.

13. In combination with a yarn supplier and a yarn consumer, particularly a knitting machine, which pulls yarn from the yarn supplier, a yarn feeding apparatus for facilitating the travel of yarn from the supplier to the consumer, the yarn feeding apparatus comprising brake means for frictionally engaging and exerting a braking force upon yarn traveling from the supplier to the consumer, said brake means being configurated to snare knots in a yarn being braked by said brake means; and tension stabilizing means for stabilizing yarn tension and counteracting yarn tension increases, comprising rotating conical yarn feed means downstream of said brake means operative for supporting at least one turn of yarn and for exerting upon such turn of yarn a positive pulling force pulling yarn through said brake means when the frictional engagement between the surface of said rotating feed means and such turn of yarn reaches a predetermined value in response to yarn tension increases caused by increases of consumer pull, and knock-off means downstream of said rotating conical member operative for terminating rotation of said conical yarn feeding means in response to yarn breakage, wherein the axis of said rotating conical feed means is vertical and said conical feed means tapers in downwards direction, wherein said apparatus is comprised of a common housing containing said drive means and said knock-off means, wherein said rotating conical feed means is comprised of a rotatable feed cone and drive means for rotating said feed cone, wherein said feed cone is mounted on the underside of said housing, wherein said brake means is mounted on the front side of said housing, and wherein the rear side of said housing is provided with electrical connectors leading to said drive means and is further provided with mounting means for mounting said housing on a knitting machine, further including a feed wheel positioned in proximity to said feed cone and mounted on said housing shiftable relative to said feed cone in direction parallel to the axis of rotation of said feed cone and having an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of said feed cone.

14. In combination with a yarn supplier and a yarn comsumer, particularly a knitting machine, which pulls yarn from the yarn supplier, a yarn feeding apparatus for facilitating the travel of yarn from the supplier to the consumer, the yarn feeding apparatus comprising brake means for frictionally engaging and exerting a breaking force upon yarn traveling from the supplier to the consumer, said brake means being configurated to snare knots in a yarn being braked by said brake means; and tension stabilizing means for stabilizing yarn tension and counteracting yarn tension increases, comprising rotating conical yarn feed means downstream of said brake means operative for supporting at least one turn of yarn and for exerting upon such turn of yarn a positive pulling force pulling yarn through said brake means when the frictional engagement between the surface of said rotating feed means and such turn of yarn reaches a predetermined value in response to yarn tension increases caused by increases of consumer pull,

and knock-off means downstream of said rotating conical member operative for terminating rotation of said conical yarn feeding means in response to yarn breakage, wherein said brake means comprises an inlet yarn guide member and an outlet yarn guide member, a brake adjuster disk rotatable about a predetermined axis, and two spaced friction bodies mounted on said disk eccentric to said axis intermediate said inlet and outlet guide members and operative for guiding yarn from said inlet guide member to said outlet guide member through the space intermediate said spaced friction bodies and along a meandering path defined by said two spaced friction bodies and by said inlet and outlet guide members, wherein the spacing between said two spaced friction bodies is adjustable, wherein one of said two friction bodies is rotatable about an axis eccentric to the symmetry axis thereof, whereby to permit adjustment of the spacing intermediate said two friction bodies.

15. In combination with a yarn supplier and a yarn consumer, particularly a knitting machine, which pulls yarn from the yarn supplier, a yarn feeding apparatus for facilitating the travel of yarn from the supplier to the consumer, the yarn feeding apparatus comprising brake means for frictionally engaging and exerting a braking force upon yarn traveling from the supplier to the consumer, said brake means being configurated to snare knots in a yarn being braked by said brake means; and tension stabilizing means for stabilizing yarn tension and counteracting yarn tension increases, comprising rotating conical yarn feed means downstream of said brake means operative for supporting at least one turn of yarn and for exerting upon such turn of yarn a positive pulling force pulling yarn through said brake means when the frictional engagement between the surface of said rotating feed means and such turn of yarn reaches a predetermined value in response to yarn tension increases caused by increases of consumer pull, and knock-off means downstream of said rotating conical member operative for terminating rotation of said conical yarn feeding means in response to yarn breakage, wherein said apparatus is comprised of a housing, wherein said rotating conical feed means is comprised of a rotatable feed cone and drive means for rotating said feed cone, wherein said feed cone is mounted on one part of said housing, wherein said brake means is mounted on another part of said housing, further including a feed wheel positioned in proximity to said said feed cone and mounted on said housing shiftable relative to said feed cone in direction parallel to the axis of rotation of said feed cone and having an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of said feed cone.

16. In combination with a yarn supplier and a yarn consumer, particularly a knitting machine, which pulls yarn from the yarn supplier, a yarn feeding apparatus for facilitating the travel of yarn from the supplier to the consumer, the yarn feeding apparatus comprising brake means for frictionally engaging and exerting a breaking force upon yarn traveling from the supplier to the consumer; and tension stabilizing means for stabilizing yarn tension and counteracting yarn tension increases, wherein said brake means comprises an inlet yarn guide member and an outlet yarn guide member, a brake adjuster disk rotatable about a predetermined axis, and two spaced friction bodies mounted on said disk eccentric to said axis intermediate said inlet and outlet guide members and operative for guiding yarn from said inlet guide member to said outlet guide member through the space intermediate said spaced friction bodies and along a meandering path defined by said two spaced friction bodies and by said inlet and outlet guide members, and wherein one of said two friction bodies is rotatable about an axis eccentric to the symmetry axis thereof, whereby to permit adjustment of the spacing intermediate said two friction bodies. 

1. In combination with a yarn supplier and a yarn consumer, particularly a knitting machine, which pulls yarn from the yarn supplier, a yarn feeding apparatus for facilitating the travel of yarn from the supplier to the consumer, the yarn feeding apparatus comprising brake means for frictionally engaging and exerting a braking force upon yarn traveling from the supplier to the consumer, said brake means being configurated to snare knots in a yarn being braked by said brake means; and tension stabilizing means for stabilizing yarn tension and counteracting yarn tension increases, comprising rotating conical yarn feed means downstream of said brake means operative for supporting at least one turn of yarn and for exerting upon such turn of yarn a positive pulling force pulling yarn through said brake means when the frictional engagement between the surface of said rotating feed means and such turn of yarn reaches a predetermined value in response to yarn tension increases caused by increases of consumer pull, and knock-off means downstream of said rotating conical member operative for terminating rotation of said conical yarn feeding means in response to yarn breakage, wherein said brake means comprises an inlet yarn guide member and an outlet yarn guide member, a brake adjuster disk rotatable about a predetermined axis, and two spaced friction bodies mounted on said disk eccentric to said axis intermediate said inlet and outlet guide members and operative for guiding yarn from said inlet guide member to said outlet guide member through the space intermediate said spaced friction bodies and along a meandering path defined by said two spaced friction bodies and by said inlet and outlet guide members, wherein the spacing between said two spaced friction bodies is adjustable, wherein said two spaced friction bOdies are of cylindrical configuration, wherein one of said two cylindrical friction bodies is rotatable about an axis eccentric to the symmetry axis thereof, whereby to permit adjustment of the spacing intermediate said two cylindrical friction bodies.
 2. The combination defined in claim 1, wherein the axis of said rotating conical feed means is vertical and said conical feed means tapers in downwards direction.
 3. The combination defined in claim 2, wherein said apparatus is comprised of a common housing containing said drive means and said knock-off means, wherein said rotating conical feed means is comprised of a rotatable feed cone and drive means for rotating said feed cone, wherein said feed cone is mounted on the underside of said housing, wherein said brake means is mounted on the front side of said housing, and wherein the rear side of said housing is provided with electrical connectors leading to said drive means and is further provided with mounting means for mounting said housing on a knitting machine.
 4. The combination defined in claim 3, and further including a mounting rail adapted to be supported on a knitting machine, and wherein said mounting rail is provided with exposed current-carrying conductors, and wherein said mounting means comprises means for mounting said housing at said rear side thereof on said mounting rail with said electrical connectors in contact with said conductors but covered by the mounting rail and not exposed to the outside.
 5. The combination defined in claim 1, wherein said mounting means comprises a housing mounting said rotating feed means and a U-shaped bracket mounting said brake means and mounted on said housing shiftable in direction parallel to the axis of rotation of said rotating feed means, said U-shaped bracket being comprised of two leg portions extending parallel to each other spaced from each other in direction parallel to said axis and respectively supporting said inlet guide member and said outlet guide member.
 6. The combination defined in claim 5, wherein one of said leg portions of said U-shaped bracket is provided with a viewing window, and wherein said rotatable brake adjuster disk is mounted on said mounting bracket intermediate said leg portions thereof and has a circumferential wall surface provided with calibrated markings visible through said viewing window.
 7. In combination with a yarn supplier and a yarn consumer, particularly a knitting machine, which pulls yarn from the yarn supplier, a yarn feeding apparatus for facilitating the travel of yarn from the supplier to the consumer the yarn feeding apparatus comprising brake means for frictionally engaging and exerting a braking force upon yarn traveling from the supplier to the consumer, said brake means being configurated to snare knots in a yarn being braked by said brake means; and tension stabilizing means for stabilizing yarn tension and counteracting yarn tension increases, comprising rotating conical yarn feed means downstream of said brake means operative for supporting at least one turn of yarn and for exerting upon such turn of yarn a positive pulling force pulling yarn through said brake means when the frictional engagement between the surface of said rotating feed means and such turn of yarn reaches a predetermined value in response to yarn tension increases caused by increases of consumer pull, and knock-off means downstream of said rotating conical member operative for terminating rotation of said conical yarn feeding means in response to yarn breakage, wherein said brake means comprises an inlet yarn guide member and an outlet yarn guide member, a brake adjuster disk rotatable about a predetermined axis, and two spaced friction bodies mounted on said disk eccentric to said axis intermediate said inlet and outlet guide members and operative for guiding yarn from said inlet guide member to said outlet guide member through the space intermediate said spaced friction bodies and along a meandeRing path defined by said two spaced friction bodies and by said inlet and outlet guide members, said yarn feeding apparatus comprising mounting means mounting said rotating conical feed means and mounting said brake means displaceable in direction parallel to the axis of rotation of said rotating conical feed means.
 8. The combination defined in claim 7, wherein said brake means comprises an inlet yarn guide member and an outlet yarn guide member, a brake adjuster disk rotatable about a predetermined axis, and two spaced friction bodies mounted on said disk eccentric to said axis intermediate said inlet and outlet guide members and operative for guiding yarn from said inlet guide member to said outlet guide member through the space intermediate said spaced friction bodies and along a meandering path defined by said two spaced friction bodies and by said inlet and outlet guide members.
 9. The combination defined in claim 8, wherein the spacing between said two spaced friction bodies is adjustable.
 10. The combination defined in claim 9, wherein said two spaced friction bodies are of cylindrical configuration.
 11. The combination defined in claim 8, wherein said brake adjuster disk is provided with calibrated markings.
 12. The combination defined in claim 8, wherein said inlet and outlet guide members are circumferentially incomplete to permit insertion of a yarn into said guide members without having to thread a yarn end through said guide members.
 13. In combination with a yarn supplier and a yarn consumer, particularly a knitting machine, which pulls yarn from the yarn supplier, a yarn feeding apparatus for facilitating the travel of yarn from the supplier to the consumer, the yarn feeding apparatus comprising brake means for frictionally engaging and exerting a braking force upon yarn traveling from the supplier to the consumer, said brake means being configurated to snare knots in a yarn being braked by said brake means; and tension stabilizing means for stabilizing yarn tension and counteracting yarn tension increases, comprising rotating conical yarn feed means downstream of said brake means operative for supporting at least one turn of yarn and for exerting upon such turn of yarn a positive pulling force pulling yarn through said brake means when the frictional engagement between the surface of said rotating feed means and such turn of yarn reaches a predetermined value in response to yarn tension increases caused by increases of consumer pull, and knock-off means downstream of said rotating conical member operative for terminating rotation of said conical yarn feeding means in response to yarn breakage, wherein the axis of said rotating conical feed means is vertical and said conical feed means tapers in downwards direction, wherein said apparatus is comprised of a common housing containing said drive means and said knock-off means, wherein said rotating conical feed means is comprised of a rotatable feed cone and drive means for rotating said feed cone, wherein said feed cone is mounted on the underside of said housing, wherein said brake means is mounted on the front side of said housing, and wherein the rear side of said housing is provided with electrical connectors leading to said drive means and is further provided with mounting means for mounting said housing on a knitting machine, further including a feed wheel positioned in proximity to said feed cone and mounted on said housing shiftable relative to said feed cone in direction parallel to the axis of rotation of said feed cone and having an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of said feed cone.
 14. In combination with a yarn supplier and a yarn comsumer, particularly a knitting machine, which pulls yarn from the yarn supplier, a yarn feeding apparatus for facilitating the travel of yarn from the supplier to the consumer, the yarn feeding apparatus comprising brake means for frictionally engaging and exerting a breaking force upon yarn traveling from the supPlier to the consumer, said brake means being configurated to snare knots in a yarn being braked by said brake means; and tension stabilizing means for stabilizing yarn tension and counteracting yarn tension increases, comprising rotating conical yarn feed means downstream of said brake means operative for supporting at least one turn of yarn and for exerting upon such turn of yarn a positive pulling force pulling yarn through said brake means when the frictional engagement between the surface of said rotating feed means and such turn of yarn reaches a predetermined value in response to yarn tension increases caused by increases of consumer pull, and knock-off means downstream of said rotating conical member operative for terminating rotation of said conical yarn feeding means in response to yarn breakage, wherein said brake means comprises an inlet yarn guide member and an outlet yarn guide member, a brake adjuster disk rotatable about a predetermined axis, and two spaced friction bodies mounted on said disk eccentric to said axis intermediate said inlet and outlet guide members and operative for guiding yarn from said inlet guide member to said outlet guide member through the space intermediate said spaced friction bodies and along a meandering path defined by said two spaced friction bodies and by said inlet and outlet guide members, wherein the spacing between said two spaced friction bodies is adjustable, wherein one of said two friction bodies is rotatable about an axis eccentric to the symmetry axis thereof, whereby to permit adjustment of the spacing intermediate said two friction bodies.
 15. In combination with a yarn supplier and a yarn consumer, particularly a knitting machine, which pulls yarn from the yarn supplier, a yarn feeding apparatus for facilitating the travel of yarn from the supplier to the consumer, the yarn feeding apparatus comprising brake means for frictionally engaging and exerting a braking force upon yarn traveling from the supplier to the consumer, said brake means being configurated to snare knots in a yarn being braked by said brake means; and tension stabilizing means for stabilizing yarn tension and counteracting yarn tension increases, comprising rotating conical yarn feed means downstream of said brake means operative for supporting at least one turn of yarn and for exerting upon such turn of yarn a positive pulling force pulling yarn through said brake means when the frictional engagement between the surface of said rotating feed means and such turn of yarn reaches a predetermined value in response to yarn tension increases caused by increases of consumer pull, and knock-off means downstream of said rotating conical member operative for terminating rotation of said conical yarn feeding means in response to yarn breakage, wherein said apparatus is comprised of a housing, wherein said rotating conical feed means is comprised of a rotatable feed cone and drive means for rotating said feed cone, wherein said feed cone is mounted on one part of said housing, wherein said brake means is mounted on another part of said housing, further including a feed wheel positioned in proximity to said said feed cone and mounted on said housing shiftable relative to said feed cone in direction parallel to the axis of rotation of said feed cone and having an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of said feed cone.
 16. In combination with a yarn supplier and a yarn consumer, particularly a knitting machine, which pulls yarn from the yarn supplier, a yarn feeding apparatus for facilitating the travel of yarn from the supplier to the consumer, the yarn feeding apparatus comprising brake means for frictionally engaging and exerting a breaking force upon yarn traveling from the supplier to the consumer; and tension stabilizing means for stabilizing yarn tension and counteracting yarn tension increases, wherein said brake means comprises an inlet yarn guide member and an outlet yarn guide member, a brake adjuster disk rotatable about a predetermined axis, and two Spaced friction bodies mounted on said disk eccentric to said axis intermediate said inlet and outlet guide members and operative for guiding yarn from said inlet guide member to said outlet guide member through the space intermediate said spaced friction bodies and along a meandering path defined by said two spaced friction bodies and by said inlet and outlet guide members, and wherein one of said two friction bodies is rotatable about an axis eccentric to the symmetry axis thereof, whereby to permit adjustment of the spacing intermediate said two friction bodies. 